colig08

Hi James, I don't think it's the cure as I didn't use anything red in it but you can see a few flecks of rosemary so I probably didn't rinse it down too well! Cheers Rob

Hey, It's not much use to you I'm afraid but I was given a game prep & cookery course as a birthday present here in Norfolk that I would recommend. http://richardhughescookeryschool.co.uk/ We prepped pheasant & rabbits, got to take a load of nice dishes home that we had cooked & had a great lunch. But prior to that I used You tube, it's great for learning how to do that stuff. Watch a few vids & give it a go. It's all about confidence.

Hi, After successfully making my own Biltong, bacon & sausages I have set up a curing chamber from an old wine fridge which I've rigged with a temp controller to try some charcuterie. I decided to start with a Bresaola as it seemed fairly straight forward. As a first project it's been a good learning experience & I gained a lot from doing it (humidity/ temp in the chamber etc.) I got a bit of mould growth which I know is to be expected. Some white & a little green which I believe to be bad mould. I have wiped it down with vinegar as I have done with Biltong and will see if it comes back. How ever I noticed some red dots which I cannot find any reference too in books or online. I'm going to keep it going to see what happens but I suspect I may have some case hardening as it's lost 30% of its weight in 12 days and I'm a bit dubious about these red spots so probably won't be consuming it but has any one ever seen this or know what it is? Cheers

Good to hear it was a success! Did you end up building a bigger box? Any pics? I'm still tinkering with my recipe but still haven't had a disappointing batch.

Not too sure about that. As others have said try using a fan to get air flow over the product.

Yeah I put a thermometer in my box and it ran between 19 and 22c depending on time of day and how often I opened the lid and that was using a 60w bulb. I need to work on my slicing as there was way too much variation

Nice Muddy Funker, the box looks great, as does your ale selection! Have you got any ventilation holes at the opposite end of the fans to draw air through? One of my fans sucks air in and the other end blows it out so that there is a constant flow of air running over the Biltong.

A pro then! Will try the vinegar on the next batch. I'd be horrified if I had to throw any away.

No problems so far. It's a 60w bulb and I ran it continuously for 72hours. I put a thermometer/ Hygrometer in with it & it reached about 23c Yes I agree with you on the rods, they are next on my list to do. As soon as I started hanging they were getting juices etc. on them. They did wipe clean but absorbent woods isn't the best thing. I was going to get plastic rods but I like the idea of the skewers. That would negate the need for me to get some hooks (used coated garden wire to hang the first time)

Yeah I used seeds but whizzed them up a bit I need to bag me a few pigeons first (hint hint for anyone in the Norfolk area). I do have a couple of pheasants hanging at the moment. Does anyone know if they make good Biltong?

Ah okay, makes sense. Sounds like you have been doing this a while. What is your recipe & method? Do you just dip the meat in the vinegar and then roll in in the powder mix or do you let it sit in vinegar for a while?

Yes it's all about experimentation. My slicing of the beef left a lot to be desired but having the different thicknesses led to completely different textures. I now now that I want to cut it thicker to get a slightly wetter product. Will be adding some flakes to the next batch then.

I'm not sure it's going to be around long enough for any mould growth

1kg silverside 67g course sea salt 67g brown sugar 44g ground coriander 27g black pepper Sliced in to strips and coated then left for 3 hours, turned and left for an other 3 then hung. I converted it from a 3kg of beef recipe hence the odd numbers. I don't think this is a traditional recipe as they all seem to use vinegar but it's very tasty. Good hit of pepper. Will be trying a chilli based recipe next if any one has a good one

Hi, I was on a smoking and curing course the weekend before last where they covered off Biltong so I decided to make my own Biltong box last week. After keeping an eye on it (wanting to snaffle it) for three days it was finally ready on Saturday. I wasn't disappointed. You may have seen it being discussed on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch. It's really easy to do, the hardest part is the wait! I built my box for a smidge under 25 quid but had a few bits lying around. All it takes is a plastic tote, a light bulb, a couple of computer fans and some rods. Give it a go!